The Artful Mind DECEMBER Anniversary issue 2025

BERKSHIRE’S MONTHLY ARTS MAGAZINE FEATURING LOCAL AND REGIONAL ARTISTS IN PRINT & ONLINE SINCE 1994
TheARTFUL MIND
DECEMBER 2025
LEAR LEVIN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER

ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 31 YEARS IN PRINT
DECEMBER 2025
IN PRINT SINCE 1994
The ARTFUL MIND
JOANE CORNELL
FINE JEWELRY
“To all Artists I have known: Thank you for making this publication
possible. I was just saying to someone today, we artists, we all help
eachother in so many ways. Being creators is grounding and gives
us a sense of slowing things down a bit.”
—-THE PUBLISHER
Interview with Danni Rodriguez Visual Artist ... 12
Interview with Lear Levin
Fine Art Photographer...20
Interview with Todd Mack
Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Artivist, Speaker ... 30
Richard Britell | FICTION
Valeria and the Ants CHAPTER 7 ... 43
Diaries of Jane Gennaro
Mining My Life .... 44
Publisher Harryet Candee
Copy Editor Elise Francoise
Ancient Silver Coin Extravaganza. Ring & 2 pendants. 18kt.
COMMISSION ORDERS WELCOMED
Hand Forged Designs
www.JoaneCornellFineJewelry.com
9 Main St. Chatham, NY
Contributing Photographers
Edward Acker Lee Everett Bobby Miller
Contributing Writers
Richard Britell Jane Gennaro
Third Eye Jeff Bynack
Distribution Ruby Aver
CALENDAR / ADVERTISING
EDITORIAL / SUBSCRIPTIONS —
413-645-4114
EMAIL: ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM
Read every issue online: ISSUU.COM
and YUMPU.COM / instagram
Join the FB group:
ARTFUL MIND GALLERY for Artful Minds 23
THE ARTFUL MIND
PO Box 985, Great Barrington, MA 01230
FYI— Disclaimer: : ©Copyright laws in effect throughout The Artful Mind for
logo & all graphics including text material. Copyright laws for photographers
and writers throughout The Artful Mind. Permission to reprint is required in all
instances. In any case the issue does not appear on the stands as planned
due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, advertisers will be
compensated on a one to one basis. All commentaries by writers are not
necessarily the opinion of the publisher and take no responsibility for their
facts and opinions. All photographs submitted for advertisers are the responsibility
for advertiser to grant release permission before running image or photograph.
Not responsible for photo content /copyright brought into magazine
by other artists promoting other artists in editorial on these pages.
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 1

whowherewhen...
Les Ballets
Trockadero de Monte Carlo
Saturday, February 7, 2026, 3pm
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
14 Castle st, Gt Barrington, MA
Box office: 413-528-0100
Laura Angalde with The Ben Rosenblum Trio
Saturday, December 13, 7:30pm
Spencertown Academy
790 Rte 203, Spencertown, NY Spencertownacademy.org
ART
510 WARREN STREET GALLERY
510 Warren st, Hudson NY
518-822-0510 / 510warrenstgallery@gmail.com
Dec 5-28: Reception: Dec 6, 3-5:30
Stephan Marc Klein: TUNNEL VISIONS
ART GALLERY 71
82 Hudson View Terrace
www.artgallery71.com
Ongoing exhibits
ART ON MAIN
Main St, West Stockbridge, MA
Thru Nov 30: Plein Air Exhibit; Dec 4-28,
Reception Dec 6: Holiday Small Works Show
CARRIE HADDAD GALLERY
622 Warren St, Hudson, NY
info@carriehaddadgallery.com
Nov 21 - Jan 18: Landscape Exhibit
CLARK ART INSTITUTE
225 South St, Williamstown, MA
Nov 22 - May 31, 2026: Raffaella Della Olga: Typscripts;
Dec 20 - Mar 8, 2026: Shadow Visionaries:
French Artists Against the Current, 1840-70
CLOCK TOWER ARTISTS’ STUDIOS & GALLERY
75 S. Church St, 3rd fl, Pittsfield, MA
clocktowerartists.com
A collective of working artists, see website for artists
and open studio visits.
FUTURE LAB(S) GALLERY
43 Eagle St, North Adams, MA
On going art exhibits
GALLERY 13 1/2
13 1/2 Grove St, Adams, MA
Group Exhibit displaying the creative work of over 17
artists who support and collaborate with The Old Mill
Center by using upcycled materials in their work.
GALLERY NORTH
9 Eagle St, North Adams, MA
413-663-1509
Gallery of artists work on view
2 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND
HOTCHKISS SCHOOL
TREMAINE GALLERY
11 Interlaken Rd, Lakeville, CT
www.hotchkiss.org/arts
Thru Jan 25, 2026: Wish You Were Here:
Fern Apfel & Colleen McGuire
JD LOGAN FINE ART
Monterey, MA
Thru Dec 31: By appointment only studio visits:
Abstract Creations made with acrylics and
mixed media on both canvas and wood panels.
LAUREN CLARK FINE ART
684 Main St, Gt Barrington, MA
Lauren@LaurenClarkFIneArt.com
Fine art, glass, sculpture and paintings
MAD ROSE GALLERY
3 Main St, Millerton, NY (Main Gallery)
Thru Dec 31: Through A Lens, A Painting:
Lorenzo Minoli.
MASS MoCA
1040 MASS MoCA WAY, Hunter Center,
North Adams, MA info@massmoca.org
Thru Jan 4, 2026: Dirty & Disorderly:
Contemporary Artists on Disgust.
MCLA GALLERY
375 Church St, North Adams, MA
Thru Jan 4, 2026: Ecologies of the In\Between
NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM
9 Glendale Road, Stockbridge, MA
413-298-4100
Nov 8- April 6, 2026: Jazz Age Illustration
SOHN FINE ART
69 Church St, Lenox, MA
413-551-7353 info@sohnfineart.com
Thru Jan 12, 2026: The Color of Memory:
Valdo Bailey, John Clark, Richard Alan Cohen,
Yvette Lucas
SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER
860 SVAC Drive / West Rd, Manchetser VT
Through January 4, 26: Into the Abstract:
Paul Gruhler and Neha Vedpathak
SUSAN ELEY FINE ART
433 Warren St., Hudson, NY
Feb 5-April 19, 2026:
Deirdre O'Connell: New Portraits
TIVOLI ARTISTS GALLERY
60 Broadway, Tivoli, NY
Holiday Show through December 21.
MUSIC | EVENTS
ASTON MAGNA FAMILY DAY!
St. James Place
352 Main St, Gt Barrington, MA
Dec 13, 3pm: Aston Magna Music Festival‘s FREE
Family event for young people of all ages; Dec 14:
3pm: In Dulci Jubilo: Traditional and contemporary
acappella carols by Bach, Rachmaninoff, Lauridsen,
Randall Thompson and others.
CLOSE ENOUNTERS WITH MUSIC
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
14 Castle St, Gt Barrington, MA
Dec 15, 4pm: Vivace Chamber Orchestra
MASS MoCA
1040 MASS MoCA WAY, Hunter Center,
North Adams, MA info@massmoca.org
Dec 20, 7pm: WHAT TO WEAR: Work-in-progress
production, a comedic, post-rock opera by composer
Michael Gordon and the late downtown theater
renegade icon Richard Foreman.
FILM
CLARK ART INSTITUTE
225 South St, Williamstown, MA
12/11: Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
12/18: The Third Man (1949)
IMAGES CINEMA
50 Spring st, Williamstown MA
413-458-1039 imagescinema.org
Dec 20: White Christmas (1954); Jan 3, 2026: The
Princess and the Frog; Jan 17, 2026: Willy Wonka
and the Chocolate Factory
Keep us in mind
artfulmind@yahoo.com

“FOODFUL THOUGHTS”, DISTRESS OXIDE, GRAPHITE
HIGHLIGHT PEN, METALLIC COLOR PEN, AND INK ON TONED
TAN SKETCH PAPER, 8”X5.25”. (C)LEO MAZZEO.
LEO MAZZEO
As a long time advocate for the arts, New Ashford
based artist Leo Mazzeo has served on regional
boards and acted as a catalyst for many arts related
projects. He works primarily on paper, using diverse
media and techniques appropriate for each
piece’s theme. Initially, he establishes a broad concept,
which evolves into a narrative as a piece progresses.
Mazzeo sketches from life, reference
images, and imagination, assembling compositions
almost as a collage artist would. Symbolism is key,
and characters and objects often have repeating
roles. His themes are sociopolitical/psychological,
often surreal, reflecting personal perspectives and
offering therapeutic benefits.
Leo Mazzeo—
l-mazzeo@hotmail.com
JANE GENNARO
Jane Gennaro is an artist, writer, and performer
based in New York City. Jane’s work has been
widely exhibited, performed, and broadcast. She
has been featured in the New York Times, New York
Magazine, and NPR among others. Her illustrated
column, "Mining My Life” appears monthly in The
Artful Mind magazine. Jane’s art studio is in Claverack,
NY.
Jane Gennaro —
www.janegennaro.com
shop.janegennaro.com
https://performingartslegacy.org/
THE MAGIC BOWL, 2025, CANVAS ON CRADLED WOOD,
OIL ON CANVAS, 24” X 24” X 3”
LORI BRADLEY
Lori Bradley is a contemporary painter working
in oil and acrylic on canvas and wood panels. Describing
her style as alternative realism, she creates
imagery that merges traditional realist still life and
landscape influences with contemporary themes,
colors, and patterns. Birds are a common theme in
her still life paintings. Observing how they act in
ways similar humans she started incorporating them
into her paintings to tell subtle stories about human
interactions and relationships.
Lori Bradley—
loribradley@comcast.net
http://www.loribradleyart.com
4 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

RICHARD NELSON
Art is therapy for me. A good way of processing
my own personal baggage. I illustrate, in detail,
whatever particular ism that I am dealing with. It
helps me to see it and give it a face, so to speak. But
the nature of it is too personal to share openly, so I
obscure it until it is no longer discernible. I know
it's there, but only I know. It's very cathartic!
The top image is imagery behind much of my abstract
stuff. Presented in a more candid manner. But
still somewhat obfuscated by the large number of
tiny figures and, for me, hard to focus on individually.
With the competing color spots on top, seem
to distract the viewer from making out, completely,
the nature of the tiny images.
Richard Nelson —
nojrevned@hotmail.com
RICK NELSON
BERKSHIRE DIGITAL
Since opening in 2005, Berkshire Digital has done
fine art printing and digital scanning for artists and
photographers. Archival Inkjet/Giclée prints can be
made in many different sizes from 5”x7” to 42”x
80” on a variety of archival paper choices. Berkshire
Digital was featured in Photo District News (PDN)
magazine in an article about fine art printing. See
the entire article on the BerkshireDigital.com website.
Berkshire Digital does accurate digital scans of
paintings, illustrations and old photographs that can
be used for archival prints, books, magazines, brochures,
cards and websites.
Berkshire Digital also designs and produces books
printed by Blurb.com
“Fred Collins couldn’t have been more professional
or more enjoyable to work with. He did a
beautiful job in photographing paintings carefully,
efficiently, and so accurately. It’s such a great feeling
to know I have these beautiful, useful files on
hand anytime I need them. I wish I’d called Fred
years ago.” ---- Ann Getsinger
We offer restoration and repair of damaged or
faded photographs. A complete overview of services
offered, along with pricing, can be seen on the
web at BerkshireDigital.com
The owner, Fred Collins, has been a commercial
and fine art photographer for over 30 years having
had studios in Boston, Stamford and the Berkshires.
He offers over 25 years of experience with Photoshop,
enabling retouching, restoration and enhancement
to prints and digital files. The studio is located
in Mt Washington but drop-off and pick-up is available
through Frames On Wheels, 84 Railroad Street
in Great Barrington, MA (413)-528-0997 and
Gilded Moon Framing, 17 John Street in Millerton,
NY (518)-789-3428.
Berkshire Digital -
413-644-9663
www.BerkshireDigital.com
BOULEVARDIER
PHOTO: ERIC KORENMAN
MODEL: IAN TIFFANY
DEBORAH H. CARTER
Deborah H. Carter is a multi-media artist from
Lenox, MA, who creates upcycled, sustainable wearable
art. Her couture pieces are constructed from
post-consumer waste such as food packaging, wine
corks, cardboard, books, wire, plastic, and other discarded
items and thrifted wares. She manipulates her
materials' color, shape, and texture to compel us to
question our assumptions of beauty and worth and
ultimately reconsider our habits and attitudes about
waste and consumerism.
Since she was eight, Deborah has been a sewing
enthusiast, and she learned her craft by creating
clothing with her mother and grandmothers. Her passion
took hold as she began to design and sew apparel
and accessories. After graduating with a degree
in fashion design from Parsons School of Design in
New York City, she worked as a women's sportswear
designer on Seventh Avenue.
Deborah's art has been exhibited in galleries and
art spaces around the US. She was one of 30 designers
selected to showcase her work at the FS2020
Fashion Show annually at the University of Saint
Andrews, Scotland. She has been featured in the
Spring 2023 What Women Create magazine.
Deborah H. Carter has been featured in The Artful
Mind, Berkshire magazine, and What Women Create
magazine and was a finalist in the World of WearableArt
competition in Wellington, New Zealand,
2023.
Deborah H Carter —
413-441-3220, Clock Tower Artists
75 S. Church St., Studio 315, 3rd floor
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Instagram: @deborah_h_carter
Debhcarter@yahoo.com
Jaye Alison Ruby Aver Thea Knapp-Baker Lori Bradley Richard Britell Margaret Buchte
Jeffrey Bynack Katherine Borkowski-Byrne Shoshana Candee Leslee Carsewell Janet Cooper
Julian Craker Yana van Dyke Candace Eaton Jane Gennaro Susan Gilbert Julia Grey
Katherine Haig Ghetta Hirsch Sarah Horne Ellen Kaiden Stephan Marc Klein
Beckie Kravetz Bruce Laird Lear Levin Pattie Lipman Leo Mazzeo Jesse Tobin McCauley
Kent Mikelson Bobby Miller Mark Millstein Dawn Nelson Richard Nelson Ellen Pollen Janet Pumphrey
Ilene Richard Alexandra Rozenman Richard Talbert Scott Taylor Jay Tobin Mary Ann Yarmosky
Thank you Artists for participating in The Artful Mind Art Gallery at 11 EAGLE STREET IN NORTH ADAMS. MA.
6 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

FRONT STREET GALLERY
Springtime Clothes Line, Block Island, Oil on canvas, 14” x 16” Sold
Breakthroughs No. 2 Acrylic on canvas 16”x20”
RUBY AVER
rdaver2@gmail.com | Instagram: rdaver2.
Housatonic Studio open by appointment 413-854-70067
Painting classes on Monday and Wednesday Mornings 10-1pm
at the studio in Housatonic and Thursday mornings 10am - 1pm out in the field.
Also available for private critiques. Open to all. Please come paint with us!
Gallery hours: Open by chance and by appointment anytime
413. 274. 6607 (gallery) 413. 429. 7141 (cell)
413. 528. 9546 (home) www.kateknappartist.com
Front Street, Housatonic, MA
Mary Ann Palermo
International Recording Artist, Jazz Vocalist, Performer, Songwriter
Check out the newest album here at Hear Now: https://maryannpalermo.hearnow.com/theres-a-place-beatles-re-imagined
To hear about upcoming performances and new releases sign up at: https://maryannpalermo.com
Email: howmuchbettercanitget@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannpalermo_averosarecords
Averosa Records label website: https://averosarecords.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1P5DDkoBymMyNn52dmMeoL/discography/all
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 7

8 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

10 •DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

SERGIO DEMO
artschool99somerville.com
86 joy street studio 37 somerville
INSTALLATION ARTIST | NORTH ADAMS MA
INSTAGRAM.COM/SDEMO66 SERGIODEMOART.COM
DON LONGO
I enjoy painting seasonal scenes, often drawing inspiration
from both real-life objects and my imagination.
Growing up in the Berkshires, the Christmas
season was especially memorable, particularly when
it snowed. This painting is inspired by those cherished
memories – imagining fresh snow accumulating
on the pine trees in our yard, sometimes lingering
for hours until disturbed by wildlife or the wind. I’ve
placed this imagined scene in front of the Berkshire
Hills, capturing the essence of those winter days.’
BERKSHIRE MEMORIES: A Dust of Snow!
10" x 10" Acrylics on Canvas.
www.donlongoart.com
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 11

DANNI RODRIGUEZ
VISUAL ARTIST
“We needed to begin to see ourselves as enhanced or diminished according to
how we act towards the enhancement or diminishment of the world...” - John Berger
Interview by Harryet Candee
Photographs courtesy of the Artist
Danni Rodriguez is a multi-media contemporary
artist, known for work that explores the built
environment and humanity’s relationship to it.
He has exhibited his work for over four years in
over ten galleries across four states and has given
an artist talk in Pittsfield in 2025. Danni is a
graduate from the Ringling College of Art and
Design where his interest in landscapes first
developed. This interest has led to many different
themes explored in several series throughout his
body of work. Each series has its own thesis, with
references to art and daily life that guide the
viewer and recontextualize the world around
them, unfolding their familiar environment.
The series “A Greater Awareness of Awareness”
explores themes of surveillance and its growing
presence in our daily lives. Danni, what initially
sparked your interest in this subject?
12 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND
Danni Rodriguez: Surveillance became an
increasing focus as I was growing up. Edward
Snowden’s expose initially shocked me, but the
government’s surveillance became another banal
“fact of life” to me as I started high school. The rise
of the political right and America’s rightward shift
during my later high school years changed this, as
they used prevalent digital tools to surveil masses
of people. Many people were using these tools, but
several visible actors can help explain this
phenomenon. Chaya Raichik is the creator of Libs
of TikTok, who uses the social media site TikTok to
advance MAGA ideas by trying to shame and harass
queer people by reposting and manipulating the
content queer TikTok users publicly post. Calvin
Garrah is a YouTuber who has repeatedly made
content used to shame trans people he didn’t like,
focusing on shaming them for being non-binary or
not conforming to traditional gender roles; his fans
have often harassed the many subjects of his videos,
even though Garrah claims not to support them.
Charlie Kirk was a leading member of Turning
Point USA, a conservative, MAGA-supporting
group that, with his help, created a professor
watchlist of people their supporters should harass.
While these are the most visible people actors, many
average people group together to use popular
software devices to surveil their own networks. I
began developing the series in October of 2024, and
have since seen reports of people surveilling their
coworkers or neighbors and reporting them to ICE
to strengthen their job security or for petty grudges.
What steps did you take to move from the initial
concept to completion?
At first, I thought about how the Bennington
Monument looked similar to the Washington
Monument and how it could be seen from almost

A Greater Awareness of Awareness.
View of the Monument #1 (486 Orchard Road, Bennington, VT), 9” x 18”, Gouache and Graphite on Inkjet Print on Paper
View of the Monument #2 (112 Hillside Street, Bennington, VT), 9” x 18”, Gouache and Graphite on Inkjet Print on Paper
the entire area, as if it were watching everyone. That
led to thoughts about the government and various
politicians’ actions, and about how common it is for
people to use everyday tools to surveil others toward
conservative goals. Trying to find good
compositions for the works led me to think about
using the guide lines as the base for a spreadsheet
of information. Over the course of creating the
artwork, I found ways to reliably and quickly
produce it.
Do you believe that exhibiting work in a gallery
exposes you to potential vulnerability due to
public reactions and comments that may require
you to justify your thought process? How has
their feedback impacted your perspective?
Ringling College of Art and Design has prepared
me to communicate my ideas clearly when put on
the spot, for which I am eternally grateful. Talking
to people who love art and want to display it has
given me great insight into who is into my work,
what people actually want to buy, how my work is
seen, and where I connect with and disconnect from
each of these ideas.
What vision do you have for your latest work?
What aspirations are driving your creative
process?
My latest work will be a series of gouache paintings
of the Meadowlands Exhibition Center area,
featuring figures I have placed on printed photos of
the area. It will be a commentary on the ongoing
recession and the developments that led to the
dearth of entry-level jobs.
Did you enjoy your thesis project? The work I
have seen contained a lot of energy. What in this
body of work set the course for so much energy?
I did! It was a lot more work than I imagined, and
very experimental. I made them as large as I could
since I knew I wouldn’t have the room or time to do
so out of college. The energy in these works is built
on the history of the Jersey Turnpike and the
surrounding area.
Do you still feel the same creative, high-energy
flow now that you are on your own?
I’ve come to realize how important a creative
environment is to produce artwork. It is essential to
have a space where you can produce art
uninterrupted and be motivated to do so. I live with
and help my parents in a very isolated area, which
doesn’t make it easy for me to connect with local
artists or galleries that have clients who would enjoy
the work I make. I’ve had to shift the way my
artwork looks because many local art buyers want
it to look a certain way. Continued on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 13

View of the Monument #3 (190 Franklin Lane, Bennington, VT), 9” x 18”, Gouache and Graphite on Inkjet Print on Paper
View of the Monument #4 (999 County Street, Bennington, VT), 9” x 18”, Gouache and Graphite on Inkjet Print on Paper
View of the Monument #5 (1001 VT-9, Bennington, VT), 9” x 18”, Gouache and Graphite on Inkjet Print on Paper
14 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

DANNI RODRIGUEZ VISUAL ARTIST
Memorial Highway — BFA Thesis
Prison Highway (View of the Hudson County Correctional Facility from the Jersey Turnpike), 2022, Oil on Canvas, 121.9×243.8cm (48” by 96”)
Post-Industrial Highway, 2022, Oil on Canvas, 61×121.9cm (24”x48”)
I have observed a consistent style in your work
that effectively integrates contemporary,
traditional, and abstract elements. Could you
share the principles you have committed to that
shape your overall artistic approach?
The core of my artistic principles has been based on
postmodern theories of understanding art. Reading
the book, “Learning from Las Vegas,” when I was
young, gave me the tools to understand what are
signs, how signs are ordered to create meaning, and
that a subject’s form is their own sign. Each work is
a creation of various signs, ranging from what their
medium depicts to their very form, each of which
is given its own meaning through their interaction
with one another, which all change depending on
the viewer, who has their own context. Looking
more into Postmodern Theory gave me the idea to
see what a medium or sign can be used for, what it
is, and keeping what it’s supposed to be used for
secondary. To order each sign, I start with very basic
questions: “What is happening?”, “Who is doing
what to whom?”, “Where have I seen this before?”,
“How can I use this to convey that?”, “How does
everything come together?”.
What skills do you still find need improving in
terms of your current direction?
Being able to just get things done and move
forward. Just going out, talking to people, making
connections, and having energy to maintain them,
and move in ways that people understand.
I see you have worked in a sculptural venue with
bookmaking. Can you tell us about this portion
of your creative pursuits? Your books are
beautiful and very interesting.
I had a book-making class in college that taught us
various techniques of book-making and how it has
been used; these are some of the works I made at
the time. One was a walk through the Topkapi
Palace in Turkey that used multiple Turkish map
folds. At the same time, another is a baby-blue
accordion-fold book that you “flip” to extend its
pages, printed to resemble monstrous entrails. I
wanted to learn more techniques beyond painting
and drawing because I was unsure what the future
would hold. With the oncoming recession and the
instability of white collar work, I may be making
craft notebooks for people or even welding. Who
knows?
At what stage are you at in terms of showing
your art? Is there a specific timeframe necessary
to strike a balance between working on your
projects and preparing to share them with
others?
My art is currently at the Southern Vermont Arts
Center. I am talking with a gallerist to show my
series there, which will include five more works.
Continued on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 15

DANNI RODRIGUEZ VISUAL ARTIST
Central Park Ephemerals. Glacial Boulder Surrounded by Blossoms, Oil on Canvas, 30.5x46cm (12”x18”), 2024
Cherry Blossoms with Belvedere Castle, Oil on Canvas, 30.5x46cm (12”x18”), 2024
16 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND
Forsythia and Cherry Blossoms, Oil on Canvas, 30.5x46cm (12”x18”), 2024

Bookmaking: Path Through Topkapi Palace, Edition 1 of 3, 2022, Mixed Media, 20.3cm x 20.3cm x 2.54cm (8” x 8” x 1”)
Hopefully my work will continue to be shown.
When creating and presenting future series, I make
a few initial works to apply to various art shows. If
they get accepted, I will talk about the series with
other artists and gallerists attending to make
connections. If they don’t, I will still look for other
galleries that would show them. If one of them likes
the series, we set up a time to show it, and we come
up with a number for me to produce.
In what ways do your personal values and selfperception
influence the creative work you
produce?
My creative work tries to get people to think more
about the world around them and how it’s been
constructed. I personally believe that the world is
always constantly changing: humanity, our very
ground, what we think is possible, etc. I try to
approach the places I depict with this in mind, so I
can convey a truth I feel.
In what ways do you believe your personal
challenges have shaped your artistic vision and
creative self-expression?
More broadly, realizing that I am thinking too much
of viewers. Most people want what they already
have around them, but they enjoy it being remixed
and reordered. I want to get people to think more
about the world with my art, and I can still pursue
that even with what I know now, but there are ways
that I have to do so if I want my work in someone’s
home or office. I also don’t focus on parts of myself,
since I feel that other artists have done better than I
have with the relationship they have with their own
identities, so I’ve pursued different topics to rethink
and reorder.
At this point in your life there are plenty of
opportunities ahead for you to look into. What
are some things you want to experience or
achieve that you haven’t explored so far?
I would like to explore digital mediums more
broadly. I’d also like to make a book on machine
learning, art, what can be done, and what it can
mean.
dannirodriguezfineartinfo@gmail.com
G
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 17

NOVEMBER MOON
DRYPOINT ENGRAVING, 2024, 12” X 15”
MARK MILLSTEIN
I make drypoint intaglio prints because I love the
quality and permanence of lines obtained. The variations
in each printed line reveal the pressure, angle,
and intention of my hand as it yields to the resistance
of the plate’s surface.
My work explores both real and imagined objects
and spaces. The images emerge through a constructive
process that begins with a simple drawn framework
and evolves by building and distorting
perspective, and merging technological elements
with natural forms. I am influenced by Brutalist architecture
with its precise lines, solids and textures.
I find that the drypoint technique evokes similar
qualities to poured concrete: precise volumes rich
in surface imperfections that challenge and mimic
nature.
Mark Millstein—
mmillstein@umassd.edu
www.markmillstein.com
“In our time there are many artists who do
something because it is new; they see their
value and their justification in this newness.
They are deceiving themselves; novelty is
seldom the essential. This has to do with one
thing only; making a subject better from its
intrinsic nature.”
—Henri de Toulouse Lautrec
ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM
“ROCKY PATH BELOW”
OIL ON CANVAS 30” X 30”
GHETTA HIRSCH
December is a time for holidays and family but
also the end of a year. This is when you remember
the months and events just passed and the “Rocky
Path Below”! Every year is a challenge but we forget
the obstacles we encountered as friends and
family gather together. Time of celebration and joy!
We forget the disappointments, the mistakes, the
“rocks” on the road. We have climbed above it all.
We are watching from the height of December
what each month brought and we get ready for a
new start.
This painting highlights the clear paths. Even
though the rocks were in the way, the paths gave
me hope and a sense of direction. There is always
a way out. Maybe not what we expect or wish for,
but there is a continuous movement forward. The
irreversible passage of time comes with markers
like my rocks. We just have to stay on the path from
one December to the next. Growth takes many
forms and it is different for each one of us.
I wish you a wonderful December 2025. It will
be gone soon…. Happy Holidays!
Please check my website for information on my
current work. I will also let you know about the reception
for the “UNGROUNDED” solo exhibit at
the Spring Street Market Cafe in Williamstown,
MA. This is the perfect place to have wonderful
lunches and I am looking forward to their sweet
and savory platters. The exhibit is there until the
end of December!
Ghetta Hirsch—
I will also continue to welcome visitors to my home
studio. Just call 413-597-1716 for an appointment.
Perfect place to browse, shop for gifts or discover
an artist’s creative environment while learning
more about each painting.
Ghetta-hirsch.squarespace.com
PORTRAIT OF BRUCE BY BOBBY MILLER
BRUCE PANOCK
I am a visual artist using photography as the platform
to begin a journey of exploration. My journey
began in earnest almost 14 years ago when I retired
due to health issues and began devoting myself to
the informal study of art, artists and particularly
photography. Before retiring I had begun studying
photography as a hobby. After my retirement, the
effort took on a greater intensity.
My world had changed for reasons outside of
my control and I looked for something different in
my work. I wanted to do more than document what
was around me. I wanted to create something that
the viewers might join with me and experience.
Due to my health issues, I found myself confined
with my activities generally restricted. For the first
time I began looking inward, to the world that I experienced,
though not always through physical interaction.
It is a world where I spend more time
trying to understand what I previously took for
granted and did not think about enough. The ideas
ranged from pleasure and beauty to pain and loss;
from isolation to abandonment; to walking past
what is uncomfortable to see. During this period of
isolation, I began thinking about what is isolation,
how it can transition to abandonment and then into
being forgotten. The simplest display of this idea is
abandoned buildings. They were once beautiful,
then allowed to run down and abandoned, soon to
be forgotten. After a while they disappear. Either
mankind knocks down these forgotten once beautiful
structures, or remediates them, or Nature reclaims
the space. Doesn’t mankind do the same
with its own?
My work employs references to other photographers,
painters, as well as sculptors. The brushwork
of Chinese and Japanese artists is appealing for
both its simplicity and beauty. Abstract art has its
own ways of sharing ideas which are jarring and
beautiful at the same time. Black and white and
color works each add their own dynamic. My work
is influenced by these art forms, often using many
of them in a single composited image.
Bruce Panock—
Panockphotography.com
bruce@panockphotography.com
Instagram @brucepanock
18• DECEMBER THE ARTFUL MIND ANNIVERSARY ISSUE INPRINT SINCE 1994

Jennifer Pazienza
Solo una Promessa Oil on canvas 72 x 144 inches
From the Vision & Dialogue Series
https://www.instagram.com/jenniferpazienza/ | https://www.jenniferpazienza.com/
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 19

LEAR LEVIN
FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER
I never dreamed about success; I worked at it from when I was ten and had my paper route.”—LL
INTERVIEW BY HARRYET CANDEE |
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Lear Levin is an accomplished fine art photographer
who has mastered archival printing
techniques, including Platinum/Palladium and
Three-Color Gum, as well as giclée prints on
fine watercolor paper.
This past summer, Lear's fine art photography
was on display at The Artful Mind Gallery in
North Adams. During the time I was in the gallery,
I was able to gain a deeper understanding
of how the complexities of his printmaking processes
related to his artistic intent and focus. His
work featured burlesque and cabaret life, ballerinas,
and figurative portraiture.
Before focusing solely on fine art photography,
Lear worked as a film director and director of
photography, creating documentaries, short
films, TV specials, and commercials. His work
has earned several Emmys and is represented in
significant collections, including the Museum of
Modern Art.
I found that with Lear’s work, through his archival
processes, captures the moment, while at
the same time preserves the eternalness found
in the human spirit.
20 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND
As a cinematographer, you created a film titled
"Song of Freedom" in Bangladesh in 1995. In
what ways did the project disappoint you and
also lift your spirits? What was the film about?
Is it available to view online?
Lear Levin: I donated a public service commercial
to raise funds for tornado and flood victims in East
Pakistan. The following year, there was a general
election encompassing both East and West Pakistan,
which, at the time, was considered one nation separated
geographically by India. East Pakistan won
most of the seats in the government. Consequently,
the West went crazy and, armed with American and
Russian aircraft and munitions, invaded the East and
killed over a million innocent people. George Harrison's
"Concert for Bangladesh" was staged to raise
money to feed fifteen million refugees fleeing to
India for their lives. The images of suffering in Bangladesh's
new nation were overwhelming. I felt that,
having known its leaders from the prior year and
wishing to help their cause, I should go there and
make a short film to raise money and people's awareness
of what was going on. My wife encouraged me
to keep it short and hurry home. I wound up shooting
tons of footage, patrolling the jungles with the combatants,
and listening to horror stories about what
West Pakistan had done. My crew and I traveled with
a patriotic group of musicians and singers in an open
truck, moving from one refugee camp to another as
the performers tried to bring comfort and hope to the
suffering masses. My big mistake happened when I
returned home after two months and had an editor
friend begin assembling the footage. The work progressed
far too slowly.
Between my trying to catch up on my regular work
schedule and watching the new government in Bangladesh
fall prey to its own greedy, power-hungry
army, the final feature-length documentary I called
"Joi Bangla" no longer had relevance. Eight years
later, a young filmmaking couple asked for all the
footage that I had shot. They promised me that what
they wished to craft as their own documentary, commemorating
the struggle in Bangladesh and their desire
for a change in government, would be shared
with me. Five years later, their film, "Muktir Gaan"
(Song of Freedom), was viewed by nearly a hundred
million people in Bangladesh and around the world.
The film was credited with bringing down Army rule
and helping to install a new, more benign government.
I believe that the work done by Tareque and

Lear Levin Shooting Camera - Bangladesh War 71'
Catherine Masud can be viewed online. Every Bengalie
cab driver in New York City seems to have seen
the film, and some have offered me a free ride after
I reveal who I am.
Lear, what were some challenges and memorable
moments while producing the “Anthony!” Prince
Spaghetti commercial in 1969? It is classic, in so
many ways—we now all eat spaghetti with our
extended families on Wednesdays.
There was no real concept for the Prince Spaghetti
Commercial when the Ad agency sent it to the company
that I worked for; only that a street named
"Prince" in North Boston must be shown, and an announcer
who would proclaim that Wednesday was
Prince Spaghetti Day. I took the assignment because
no one else wanted it, given the almost nonexistent
budget. I had gone to high school near Boston and
wanted to go back and visit some old haunts, so the
job appealed to me. Coincidentally, before I left New
York City, my wife and I had gone to an Italian street
festival in Lower Manhattan. After stuffing myself
with my favorite kind of food, I witnessed a sweet,
middle-aged Italian Mom lean out her window and
call for her son, Anthony. It was such a classic gesture
and so visual that I filed it away. I picked my
film crew of four, who, except for the production assistant,
had grown up in the Boston area and had
agreed to work under uncomfortable travel and financial
circumstances so that they could return to
"Bean Town." The one member not from Boston
was a very hardworking, African American young
guy who was happy to be part of anything to do with
a camera.
When the rest of the crew learned that we were
shooting in "The North End" of town, which is primarily
Italian, they insisted that we have a Priest accompany
us wherever we went because people of
color were not welcome there. (The Father, graciously,
never left our side) The little boy I cast as
Anthony, and who I decided would be running home
to have a spaghetti dinner, once his mother called
from the window for him, had followed me around
while I searched for a cast and locations. He begged
to hold my viewfinder or help us in any way as we
scouted the neighborhood. His infectious smile convinced
me that he had to be our principal character.
His name happened to be Anthony.
We only had enough money to make nine shots before
we ran out of film. The one shot I never got was
of the street sign that read "Prince." The client never
forgave me, even though the commercial was one of
the longest-running ads in TV history.
Sadly, Anthony and the wonderful woman who
played his mother only recently passed away.
Which commercials have had the greatest impact
on your career?
Prince is the ad that most people remember from the
seventies. However, my commercials for the Volunteer
Army, featuring the slogan "Be all you can
be," were always exciting for me because they
aligned with a cause I believed in, rather than the
government's draft policy. The dramatic nature of
these assignments helped draw attention to my staging
of action-packed scenes. They also led to interviews
with several well-known feature directors who
wanted me to work as their second-unit director. Unfortunately,
I was never able to accept these opportunities,
as I needed to focus on my own company
and might have been away for a year or more.
I also enjoyed doing public service work because it
provided me with the freedom that comes from not
being paid, and the causes I supported were ones I
truly believed in. Continued on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER • 21

Anthony Martinetti,
from the Prince Spaghetti
Commercial, 1968
Lear Levin, Rachel Bored
Additionally, I liked working on political advertising
for candidates I trusted and believed would improve
our way of life.
What do you think defines a successful commercial
from your standpoint?
A successful commercial must be memorable without
being offensive. Sometimes, constant repetition
works by imprinting itself on your brain, but, like so
many annoying things one hears and sees on TV, you
avoid dwelling on it or buying it.
What was it like starting out on your own?
I opened my own company in 1969 with the assistance
of our family lawyer, who had helped another
filmmaker like myself. My wife was our executive
officer, and we surrounded ourselves with a handful
of knowledgeable associates who were eager to help
create good commercials and documentaries. We
were also assisted by a generous film editor friend
who lent us working space until we were able to find
a place of our own. Although my work had won
many top awards for commercials and documentaries,
finding new jobs as a solo act was not easy,
22 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND
and I must have taken half of New York's Ad agency
TV commercial producers to lunch or dinner in my
first year to promote Lear Levin Production Inc.
Please tell us a bit about your background, Lear.
I was a Navy Brat born in Quantico, Virginia, on a
Marine Base, on the Marines' birthday. My father
was a dental officer in the Navy for almost his entire
working life, and when he was not at sea during a
deployment or a war, we moved around the country
nearly every two years.
During the Korean conflict, we moved to the Boston
area. While my father was at sea, I went to high
school in Natick, Massachusetts. I always wanted to
make films, and after a year at Penn State, I got a
scholarship to the University of Southern California,
where I studied Cinema and Drama. When I graduated,
I joined the Naval Reserve.
Following that, I began working at an advertising
agency in Los Angeles as a TV commercial producer
with permission to direct my own work.
What music and art venues captivated your interest
during this time?
I worked evenings, parking cars on the Sunset Strip
at the Troubadour when I was in college, and for a
while at the Ad agency.
I got to watch and listen to many of the great folk,
rock, and Jazz singers of the time, like Nina Simone,
but my favorite person was comedian Lenny Bruce.
His mother used to teach strippers at The Pink Pussy
Cat on The Strip, and she would come by, give me
fifty cents, and have me take sandwiches up to
Lenny's dressing room. I was in heaven.
When did you first start using a camera with the
intention of taking serious photographs?
My father loved to watch boxing. When he was not
on duty or on a ship, he would take me to the Boston
Garden to watch fights. I was fourteen at the time,
and I always brought my camera. I would take my
camera to high school and photograph my friends.
The great war photographer Robert Capa was a hero
of mine. I used a 35 mm camera like his to take most
of my photos. I got into racing motorcycles when I
was sixteen, and when I wasn't racing, I would shoot
action. It is the camera that I am holding in the magazine's
cover shot. I had a tiny darkroom in our house

LEAR LEVIN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER
Lear Levin, Right Hook
under the basement stairs where I would process and
print my black-and-white photos.
Do you take your camera where ever you go and
never leave home without it?
If I felt I was going to attend an event, whether it was
a high school football game or a dance, or if I was
traveling to a place with interesting people or scenery,
I would always take my camera. Now, I like to
photograph our travels or our good friends with my
Nikon cameras. Still, the advent of cell phones has
added a new dimension to snapping photos, and I
generally have a phone attached to my hip for capturing
unplanned images.
The Ballerina series is beautiful and intense in
color and composition. I feel as if I am in the
dressing room, getting a bird's-eye view, catching
the rehearsal, and other private moments. What
is the process in Platinum/Palladium printmaking
that makes the color pop?
I was fortunate to enlist several members of The
New York City Ballet through a friend who was a
former ballet master. I hoped that my lighting, propping,
and design might reflect backstage life similar
to what Degas had so brilliantly shown us in his
paintings. After two years of shooting color negatives,
I first made Platinum/Palladium prints on
heavy watercolor paper. The negatives can be
created in Photoshop and printed on an Epson
printer. Both Platinum and Palladium are among
only four non-tarnishing metals. They are mixed
with a fluid that oxidizes them, then spread in liquid
form onto pre-shrunk, registered paper, negative-registered,
and then dried. Using a heavier dose of Palladium
creates a slightly warmer tonality than plain
Platinum. (Both chemicals cost an absolute fortune!)
Next, three registered separation negatives are made
by a lithographic process. They are done in yellow,
magenta, and cyan. The original Platinum/Palladium
is coated with a watercolor pigment sympathetic
to the relative separation negatives dried, and
individually printed one layer on top of the other. If
it all works, you can exhale; if not, there is always
another sleepless night to feel pain. It is an arduous
process, and most photographers are wise to make
color prints on an Epson inkjet printer and forget
about it.
What must you know when it comes to choosing
the stock for printing?
The choice of printing paper for alternative processes,
like Platinum/Palladium, depends on whether
a printer wants to take the image a step further, like
laying color pigments over the work, or just perhaps
mixing a light sepia tone and applying it. The heavier
stock is really to support the addition of watercolor
pigments and repeated washing and clearing of the
image.
In contrast to the Ballerina series in full color,
you have a series on boxing. Strong black-andwhite
contrasted images of people sweating in the
boxing rink. Why did you choose to go with black
and white as opposed to color? What printing
choices did you choose for the best dramatic action
images to come to life? ...Have you also been
seen in the rink?
I used to cut school and hang out in boxing gyms
and Burlesque theaters in Boston when I was a teenager.
Continued on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 23

LEAR LEVIN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER
Lear Levin, Indian Man and Monkey
Lear Levin, Miss Feathers
24 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

Lear Levin, Chinese Wall
I loved photographing the fighters working out and
talking to the hangers-on who were always sitting
around smoking cigars and reading racing forms. I
shot them in black and white because color film was
too expensive for me to buy, and I could not process
it myself. I never boxed at the time, but I did go to a
nearby gym run by a famous trainer/manager named
Gil Clancy. I was twenty-nine years old and I figured
that it was now or never to learn the manly art.
I lasted three days and finally realized that I cannot
dance, and my attempt at boxing would only court
an early grave. I showed up the next day with my
16mm Arriflex camera. I spent a year, between
working at my regular jobs, mainly capturing African
American and Latin boxers working out and
eventually fighting in the ring. My footage was cut
into a ten-minute short film called ‘Trade’ by a great
editor named Linda Leeds. My neighbor at the time
was the famous musician, Richie Havens. When I
showed him the footage, he insisted on giving me a
music track as a favor. The film won a half dozen
awards around the world. My wife claimed that it
ruined my son Zachary's life by making him first a
boxing devotee, and now a boxing manager.
What has your experience been like working with
live models? Do their personalities ever get in the
way of your vision?
I have never had any problems or confrontations of
any kind with a model. Most of the women are
happy to work in front of my camera and accept a
healthy fee for their time.
In your Graffiti fine art photography series,
"Chinese Wall," I notice textural elements, layers
of paint, and a weathered surface that invite exploration
and reveal the hidden narratives of this
urban art form. Could you elaborate on the graffiti
series? When did you come up with the idea
for this series, and was it by chance that this became
of interest to you?
I found that much of my work was very conservative
compared to what I have seen in galleries and online.
Because graffiti is everywhere I go— wrapped
around walls, bridges, and sidewalks— I decided to
montage some of it as backgrounds for various foreground
images. It's done in Photoshop. People appreciate
it, feel it's more contemporary, and I enjoy
playing with the myriad designs that I encounter
from unknown artists.
Of all the people you have worked with, can you
tell us of a few who opened your eyes to concepts,
invaluable advice, and know-how in art and communication?
I learned the Platinum/Palladium technique from a
master printer named Arkady Lovov. This printmaking
style is archival and should last for a thousand
years without fading. Many of the finest photographers
have their work rendered in this fashion to preserve
it throughout time. My friend Keith Taylor
makes prints in a technique called Gum Over Platinum.
The Gum is usually a series of watercolor pigments.
It's time-consuming and difficult, but it gives
your image a color and look that often appears like
a painting. I practice both processes. As far as personalities
go, making documentaries has allowed me
to meet many celebrities and fascinating individuals:
Champion Bull Riders, Governors, Circus Clowns,
a First Lady, Famous actors, Quarterbacks, Golfers,
Indy Racers, and presidential candidates.
Once in a while, I got turned down when asking for
additional takes and had to watch the talent walk
away, but that comes with the territory.
Continued on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 25

LEAR LEVIN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER
Lear Levin, Elephant Keep - Ringling Bros.
Lear Levin, Ringling Bros
Clown at Rest
26 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

Lear Levin, Local Yokel - Blue Barn Winter Berkshires
Lear Levin, David & Amy, Bubbles
Can you tell us about some of the feathers in your
cap — awards you've received? For instance,
what art of yours is at The Modern Museum of
Art, and can the public see it?
I did a commercial for Goodyear Tires many years
ago, and it won the best TV Ad of the year in the international
world of advertising. It was the first TV
Ad ever taken into the Museum of Modern Art.
Today, it would get laughed off the air, but in 1964,
somehow, it was effective. It was called "When
there's no man around." It was about a woman who
had a flat tire on a remote, foggy road, but she had
the good fortune to own Goodyear tires with a thick
inner lining that would get her another 50 miles and
keep her safe. The Modern Museum also holds a
copy of my film called "Circus." I did it as a featurelength
documentary for Disney, revealing for the first
time how the Ringling Brothers Circus is put together
each year, then packed onto a train to travel
the country.
You mentioned the Chatham Film Festival this
year and how much you enjoyed the films. What
films caught your interest and why?
The Chatham Film Columbia Festival always presents
great films each year at The Crandall Theater.
This year, we were very impressed by "Nuremberg."
"A Poet," "Nouvelle Vague," "My Father's Shadow,"
"Hamnet," and "The President's Cake." Also, a short
film by Scott Cohen called "Fire at Will."
Enjoying the Berkshires has been part of your life
for some time. You and your wife appreciate the
fresh air and vibrant cultural scene. How did you
first discover the Berkshires?
Our friend Marcie Setlow, who is the Editor of "The
Berkshire Edge," a great daily online paper, told us
that if we came to her home in the Berkshires for
dinner and met her friends, we might enjoy the
summers in her neighborhood for the rest of our time
there. She has been absolutely correct. We are mainly
summer residents in West Stockbridge and have
loved every minute that we have lived here.
Are you photographing the Berkshires as part of
your fine art photography portfolio?
I took one shot of a neighbor's farm during a winter
snowstorm a few years ago, and it has done well in
galleries and private sales. Still, there is nothing else
to rave about from the Berkshires except a few interesting
covers for John Parker's delightful "Local
Yokel" newspaper.
If you had the opportunity to do something twice
over, what would that be?
My first date with Raquel, my wife of sixty years,
would be a perfect twice over.
That shot you missed -- that one time, when you
didn’t have your camera. What shot was it?
I cannot remember a shot I missed and got hung up
about, although there must have been many. I once
had the pleasure of meeting the great photographer
Irving Penn. I wish that someone had taken a shot of
me shaking his hand. It would be my treasure.
learlevinphotography.com
learlevinis@gmail.com
W
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 27

LORI BRADLEY
MARK MILLSTEIN
"First Flight" Oil on canvas, 2025
Canvas on cradled wood, 24" x 24" x 3" deep
loribradley@comcast.net
http://www.loribradleyart.com
Coal drypoint engraving 10” x 13.5” 2025
www.markmillstein.com
janet cooper
Carolyn M. Abrams
“I Can Buy My Own FLowers”
Fabric Collage, Encaustic, Found Objects, 36”x33”x2”
www.janetcooperdesigns.com
Atmospheric and Inspirational Art
www.carolynabrams.com
Anticipation
Oils and cold wax medium
MEMBER GUILD OF BERKSHIRE ARTISTS
28 DECEMBER THE ARTFUL MIND ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

BRUCE LAIRD
New work from the studio (Acrylic on Arches Watercolor Paper 22” w x 30” h)
Clock Tower Artists
Business Center Studio #307
75 South Church Street, Pittsfield, MA
Instagram- ecurbart
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 29

TODD MACK
SINGER | SONGWRITER | PRODUCER | ARTIVIST | SPEAKER
“My life has been guided by five simple but powerful words: Music can change the world”-TM
Interview by Harryet Candee
Photographs courtesy of the Artist
For over 40 years, Todd Mack has followed a
unique path as a singer-songwriter, performing
in diverse venues such as the Hong Kong Foreign
Correspondents Club, a bomb shelter in Israel,
a remote island in Fiji, an olive grove in the West
Bank, and the Taichung Jazz Festival in Taiwan.
Starting his classical training at eight, Mack’s
musical journey shifted when he picked up his
first guitar, leading him to compose his own
songs. He launched his professional career in
1989 with his self-titled debut album, followed
by a decade of touring and six more albums by
2011.
To date, Todd has released eight albums. In
2025, he made a powerful comeback with the
single "Floyd," honoring the five-year anniversary
of George Floyd's death, along with his first
full-length album in 14 years, "I'm Gonna Love
You No Matter What."
30 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND
I love your new album; the samplings are leading
me to include it as part of my music listening
venue! It's clear that you devoted a lot of love
and time to creating each song in the compilation
titled "I'm Gonna Love You No Matter What."
Can you tell us more about how it reflects your
personal life and vision, which involves adventure,
travel, determination, and purpose?
Todd Mack: "I'm Gonna Love You No Matter
What" is an album of love, loss, joy, and sorrow. In
other words - life. Many of these songs are deeply
personal to me. Some are autobiographical, while
others are not, but are everyday stories we all experience.
It's interesting to hear you reflect on my
work with Music in Common and my journey to do
some good in the world. Obviously, that is a huge
part of who I am. But as an artist, particularly a
songwriter, I feel like it's a different persona of the
same me. My vision with Music in Common is very
much "macro". Big ideas, big picture. But my own
music is the opposite of that. Most of my writing
looks inward. It's a very solitary and sometimes
even lonely experience for me. But one in which I
do my best introspective thinking. "I'm Gonna Love
You No Matter What" is definitely a reflection of
that process.
If you had to highlight one song from this album,
which one would it be, and what story would you
like to share about it?
There are two songs that really put the album into
context and bring it full circle – the opener, "Angel
Above," and the closer, "You Are There". Both address
the pain of losing someone close and how you
carry on without them. The hardest thing I've ever
had to do was tell my 15-year-old son that his best
friend had died. Seeing your kid writhe in pain like
that is gut-wrenching. It's a memory that will forever
be etched in my mind and heart. "Angel Above" attempts
to express that pain and the cruelty of a
world that takes a life way too soon. I wrote "You
Are There" shortly after my friend Danny (Pearl)

Music in Common band from our FODfest concert at an outdoor venue in Georgia that looks like the Berkshires.
was murdered. It was my way of coping with the
grief I was feeling and a promise to myself that even
though he was no longer with us in the physical
sense, he would always remain in my heart. Unlike
the sorrow of "Angel Above", "You Are There" is
about comfort and joy.
Where have your recent travels taken you, and
how have those experiences aligned with your vision
and focus?
The past four years have been a whirlwind. Since
COVID, Music in Common has been squarely focused
on programming in the U.S., and our work
has taken me all over the country several times over.
The last time I was in one place for more than six
consecutive weeks was in 2021. That's how insane
the travel has been. We are living in such divided
and polarized times. If there is one thing I've
learned, it's that most folks, regardless of political
viewpoint, yearn for connection. Things are just so
tense; people need a release.
As you prepare for your month-long tour with
Music In Common, what do you foresee happening
during that time?
In many ways, Music in Common has returned to
its roots over the past couple of years, leaning
heavily on the connective power of live music.
We've worked hard through our concerts to break
down conventional barriers between artists and audiences
and to connect audience members. We don't
perform FOR people. We perform WITH them. The
audience is just as much a part of the show as the
band. A while back, we also started integrating community
conversations into our concerts – what we
call a "two-way Q&A" in which the audience asks
the band questions and the band asks the audience
questions to spark conversation. 2026 will be our
busiest touring year yet, starting with a month-long
tour in February. Our goal is always the same: to
leave the audience inspired, engaged, and empowered.
Are you currently writing songs on the road, or
is your focus more on other aspects of music and
performance, like promotion? I know promotion
is essential, but it can sometimes overshadow the
creative process.
Ha, yes! The actual writing and recording of the
songs vs. their promotion can be opposites. But I
prefer to look at it as the Yin and Yang of the music
business. I think most of artists want to see our work
reach people and move them in some way. That can
only happen by getting the work out there and promoting
it. Otherwise, it just becomes a tree that falls
in the forest.
Some of my best writing happens when I am on
the road by myself, often while driving on the country's
highways and byways. Thematical ideas,
melodies, and lyrics will pop into my head. I record
them on my phone, and then when I'm not driving,
I start banging them out on the guitar. Interestingly,
when I am on the road with Music in Common, I
almost never write. There's just too much going on
and too many moving parts. I'm the kind of writer
who needs a quiet, solitary space to work in.
Todd, how did life in the Berkshires compare to
where you are now?
My 20 years in the Berkshires shaped me in so
many ways. It was a period of demonstrable growth
as an artist and a human being. My wife and I raised
our kids there, surrounded by my extended family
—particularly my folks, my sister and brother-inlaw,
and their kids —who all live in the Berkshires.
Sunday family dinners, holidays together, just being
able to pop over for a quick visit…I miss that terribly,
but am grateful for those years and for the fact
that my kids grew up closely bonded with their
grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins. I wouldn't
trade that for anything! Continued on next page...
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 31

TODD MACK SINGER | SONGWRITER | PRODUCER | ARTIVIST | SPEAKER
Todd Mack and Trey Carlisle, Program Director for Music in Common
But as they grew and left the area, it was time for us
to return to Atlanta, where we had moved to the
Berkshires from all those years earlier. Like the
Berkshires, Atlanta is home. Our tribe is there —it's
where I met Danny and where I started and developed
my music career. I still get to the Berkshires
3-4 times a year and am blessed to have the best of
both worlds.
What real-life experiences have significantly impacted
you, and how do you incorporate these
moments into your work?
Those familiar with Music in Common know the
impact the murder of my friend, Daniel Pearl, had
on my life. Certainly, Danny is not the only friend
or loved one I've lost, but the way in which he was
murdered and the reasons why hit me hard and in a
way that was much different from other losses. I
can't explain why, but I was compelled to take action
against the hate and violence that took Danny's life.
It was like I had no choice, like I had to do it. Not in
an obligatory way. More like an "I'm not going to
stand by and do nothing" kind of way. But I'm not
surprised by it. In many ways, I feel like my life had
been leading to that point, and Danny's murder was
the catalyst that helped me understand that this was
my calling, if you will, putting the power of music
to work for positive change.
In terms of my work as an artist and my own
32 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND
music, that's a much more complicated and complex
question. There's a lot of childhood trauma there that
I'm just beginning to acknowledge, and a life of addiction
that has had a sizable impact on me. I'm not
an addict, by the way. But my brother is. And the
destructive force that can be put on a family is often
overlooked, but very real nonetheless. Unlike my
work with Music in Common, which I am very
open and public about, this is not something I've
ever talked about publicly or even with friends until
very, very recently. And I'm still not comfortable
with it, which is why I won't go deep. But what I
can say is that, like Danny's murder and my work
with Music in Common, my personal life very
much works its way into my writing. My previous
album, "The Thirteenth Step", is a good example of
that. It is a concept album about the cycles of addiction
and the many ways addiction manifests itself,
and by far the most personal work I've done to date.
I resonate deeply with "Skin and Bones" from
your album "The Thirteenth Step". Can you
share the background of that song?
The arc of "The Thirteenth Step" reflects the journey
of an addict, starting with the drivers that send
someone on that path, their downward spiral, how
they respond to their addiction, and the ultimate outcome
of life or death. "Skin & Bones", which falls
in the middle of the album and therefore the middle
of that arc or journey, is the nadir. It's the bottoming
out. The song is a microcosm of the album, a mirroring
of that arc. At some point in an addict's journey,
all that is left is skin and bones - the bare
minimum of human existence. And from there, only
one of two things can happen. You work your way
up out of it, or you don't.
Who have you met that has enriched your music,
and why are they important?
Well, I could fill this entire interview with that one
question (lol). There have been SOOO many people
I've met along the way and have been blessed to
work with. But there is one, in particular, whom I've
met just recently who has enriched my music in indescribable
ways - my co-producer Rob Vermeulen.
When I'm not on the road, I split my time between
Atlanta and the California central coast, where my
in-laws live. About a year and a half ago, I saw a
window to get back into the recording studio to
make what would become "I'm Gonna Love You
No Matter What". I knew if I attempted this in Atlanta,
where all of my earliest albums were
recorded, I'd never get it done. There are just too
many demands and distractions from work. But I
barely know a soul in California, which makes it
easier to hunker down and get stuff done uninterrupted.
It's so small town that there are hardly any
recording studios, and Rob's Robbo Music is one of

SINGER | SONGWRITER | PRODUCER | ARTIVIST | SPEAKER TODD MACK
Todd Mack with guitar, along side
are album jackets, top left is debut,
bottom right is his newest release.
them. We hit it off instantly! He's a crazy-talented
musician who plays a ton of instruments. A phenomenal
engineer who's been using ProTools since
it's earliest days. And a masterful producer. We have
an affinity for a lot of the same production styles
and he can lay down most of the tracks himself. We
work great together and make a solid team. There's
no way the new album would have sounded the way
it does without him, and I know we're going to be
doing a lot more together. We're already in the home
stretch of the next album!
Looking back at your older music is essential to
understanding you as an artist. What do you
think is the current direction of the music scene,
and do you believe that music is becoming more
significant in people's lives?
That's a great question. I think there's this weird dichotomy
going on right now. Streaming, AI, digital
recording technology that you can use even on your
phone to multi-track – all of that has made it incredibly
easy to make and distribute music. With
that comes innovation, but also, well, a lot of crap.
The music industry is in a strange place right now
and a very different landscape from when I started
40 years ago. It's overwhelming, to be honest, and
can be a bit discouraging for artists trying to get
heard. But what bothers me most is how greeddriven
the industry has become. It's always been
about the money, but we're seeing that at levels
never seen before.
All that said, music continues to play a huge role
in people's lives. Maybe more so than ever, given
the tense and stressful times we are living in. There
will always be a demand for music. But music is
kind of like food. You can eat something organic
that you grew yourself. Or you can eat something
made from stuff made in a lab from a can on a
store's shelf. Making and ingesting music is the
same way.
Where is the best platform for us to listen to your
music?
With the exception of my albums from the 80s and
90s, all my music is streaming everywhere and
available on CD. The best way to support an artist
is to buy physical products – CDs, vinyl, T-shirts –
and to buy the download of their music from iTunes.
To my earlier point, streaming platforms rip artists
off at unprecedented, unethical levels. And if I'm
being real, Spotify is the absolute worst offender,
and I urge folks to listen to music anywhere but
there.
You are such a positive person! Can you share a
few tips to help us stay on the brighter side of
life?
Thank you! These are tough times, and staying positive
can be challenging. I look at positivity and
hope kind of like exercise: something you do to improve.
Sometimes you've got to force yourself to do
it. But I think the single-biggest thing that keeps me
positive is gratitude. No matter how bad I've got it,
somebody has it worse. No matter how down I may
be, somebody is more down. I try to keep that at the
forefront and not let my discouragement, despair,
frustrations, and expectations overshadow my gratitude.
I've had some knocks in life. Most of us have.
Still, I am blessed to be here and grateful to be alive.
www.toddmack.net
https://toddmack.net/singer-songwriter
What is your biggest challenge right now, and
how do you plan to overcome it?
Sleeping! Still trying to figure out how to overcome
that and get more of it.
ARTFULMINDYAHOOCOM THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 33
R

34 •DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

LEO MAZZEO
LESLEE CARSEWELL
“Not Everything That Is Read”, graphite, highlight pen, and ink on fluid
mixed media paper, 7”x10.25”. (c)Leo Mazzeo.
www.lcarsewellart.com n @carzeart
lcarsewellart@icloud.com
Sally Tiska Rice
BERKSHIRE ROLLING HILLS ART
CLOCK TOWER ARTISTS
Studio 302, 3rd floor
75 South Church St, Pittsfield, MA (413)-446-8469
www.sallytiskarice.com sallytiskarice@gmail.com
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 35

CHICKEN LADY
FABRIC AND CHICKEN BONES FIGURE, 20” X 30” X 6”
JANET COOPER
THE ART OF FIGURING OUT
WHAT KIND OF ARTIST I AM
Fabrics, anatomy, stitches, colors and bricologue
are words, imbued with intense emotionality for
me, a maker, collector and lover of objects and
places.
My first love was clay, so basic, earthy and obsessively
compelling, I adored making pottery
shapes and objects, resembling torsos. A period
of fascination with vintage tin cans, bottle caps
and junky metal discards followed. Metal was
sheared, punched, riveted and assembled into figurative
shapes. I began to use fabrics with these
works and eventually abandoned metal for hand
stitching doll sculptures, totems and collages, all
with second hand or recycled fabrics.
Janet Cooper—
janetcoop@gmail.com
www.janetcooperdesigns.com
PRESSED DESERT FLOWER NECKLACE. 18KT. 21” LONG.
5/8” FLOWERS.
JOANE CORNELL
FINE JEWELRY
With the tumultuous state of affairs, most are not
comfortable with a purchase that’s a “want”not a
“need” of a certain price range. Seams somewhat
frivolous? Well, that’s why I tout repurposing! Your
collection of jewels from over the years, possibly sitting
idly by, no longer exciting, are the key to your
new jewelry item(s)! Possibly more than one, depending
on your stash! You would be surprised how
far your metal/stones can go. Winter is prime time
for me to develop the designs for you.
I typically regale you, The Artful Mind audience,
with musings of my jewelry passions and practices.
This very inspiring magazine, that champions so
many of us, artists, each of us creative in so many
different capacities.
So I feel it’s my turn, very willingly, to tout a very
special person, who gives us such a great opportunity
to shine!
My artist statement this month is a tribute to an
amazing and wildly creative, uplifting human being,
Harryet Candee, who is celebrating this month, her
31 YEARS of creating/editing/publishing, what I
consider to be, one of the most incredibly inspirational
and aesthetically pleasing artist publications
I’ve ever laid eyes on!!
It’s a great pleasure to be a participant, and to
grace the pages, every month, with my art.
Thank you Harryet, for championing me/my art
in the beautiful pages of this thoroughly inspirational
publication.
Wishing you many more years of success!
—-Thank you, Joane!
Joane Cornell Fine Jewelry—
917-971-4662
9 Main St. Chatham, New York.
www.JoaneCornellFineJewelry.com
Instagram: Joane Cornell Fine Jewelry
THE COLLUSION IN ERIC’S WORLDS
OIL ON CANVAS, 30” X 30”
ALEXANDRA
ROZENMAN
I was born into a dissident family in Moscow in
1971 and had an early interest in art. I took
classes from a group of underground artists in the
Soviet Union and studied under the dissident artists
who later gained world acclaim as an émigré
artist. In 1989, I immigrated to the U.S.
I received a BFA in Painting in 1995 from State
University of New York, and an MFA from The
School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston,
MA in 1997.
After moving from NYC to Boston my paintings
became more narrative and landscapes less
abstract. My work began to resemble theatrical
stages and a fully formed sense of visual narrative
emerged. Since 2010 I have been working on
a series titled, “Moving In”... which focuses on
playful and humorous narratives of her cohabitating
with famous artists. Through this series she
wants also to touch upon questions of artistic influence
and dialogue, emulation and creativity,
continuity as well as discontinuity in contemporary
art and the world as a whole.”
I had solo and two-person exhibitions at the
Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery in Washington, DC,
Gallery 360 in Minneapolis; Clark Gallery in
Lincoln, Massachusetts and Fitchburg University
in Fitchburg, MA. Group exhibitions include,
among others, The Painting Center of New York,
Multicultural Arts Center in Boston and the Moscow
Center of Contemporary Art. In September
of 2018 I had a solo show at Hudson Gallery in
Gloucester MA, titled Blind Dates. Since 2016 I
have been a core member of the Fountain Street
Gallery in Boston, MA. In 2020 I had a two
people show with Nora Valdez and in 2022 with
Lior Neiger. Currently operating Art School 99
in Somerville, MA.
Alexandra Rozenmanalexandra.rozenman@gmail.com
alexandrarozenman.com
ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM
36 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

MARY ANN
PALERMO
As a vocalist, my bedrock is jazz tradition, the
blues, and the Great American Songbook. I consider
my voice an instrument for boundary-breaking exploration,
blurring the lines between genres to create
a soundscape that is both familiar and excitingly
new.
I thrive on challenging the conventional limits of
a “jazz singer,” weaving elements of pop, soul, and
cinematic sound design into my work, and this
blending is evident across my diverse catalog on
Spotify and other streaming platforms. Traditional
arrangements sit alongside adventurous and out-ofthe-box
compositions, but the goal is always to generate
an immersive listening experience that defies
easy categorization.
Performing, my core intention is to foster genuine
and visceral connection with the audience. I believe
music is a shared and immediate dialogue that transcends
the stage. Whether through intimate, traditional
ballads or expansive, cinematic soundscapes,
I build moments of emotional resonance and shared
discovery. My art is about versatility and connection
using my wide-ranging musical palette to express
an authentic modern voice that honors the past
while creating the future.
Mary Ann Palermo—
Email: howmuchbettercanitget@gmail.com
Website : https://maryannpalermo.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannpalermo_averosarecords
Record label website:
https://averosarecords.com/#section0
Hear Now website : https://maryannpalermo.hearnow.com/theres-a-place-beatles-re-imagined
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1P5DDko-
BymMyNn52dmMeoL
TOTEM, SCULPTURE
SERGIO DEMO
Demo is an installation artist known for his assemblages
of salvaged materials and strategic use
of light. Based in North Adams Massachusetts,
Demo works primarily with found objects and
rusted metals that reference the industrial past of
his hometown. He incorporates discarded materials
like old scrap metal, and wiring, granting
new purpose to objects that have been weathered
by time.
Strategic lighting transforms Demo's pieces
casting shadows and illuminating surfaces to reveal
new textures and dimensions, drawing focus
to the visual interplay between materials within
the assembled pieces. He embraces qualities like
oxidation, decay and the passage of time in his
artwork, seeing beauty in damage and imperfection.
His work encourages new perspectives and
creates a visual language formed through the synthesis
of light and found objects. Artist quote: "I
resurrect things. Things that have been abandoned,
discarded, left as junk. I believe in the potential
of materials even when it appears they've
lost all possibilities."
Sergio Demo—
instagram.com/sdemo66 sergiodemoart.com
BREAKTHROUGHS
ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 12”X18”
RUBY AVER
Growing up on the South Side of Chicago in the
60’s was a history, rich and troubled time. As a
youth, my playing in the streets demanded grit.
Teaching Tai Chi for the last 30 years requires a
“Zen state of mind”. My paintings come from this
quiet place that exhibit, the rich grit of my youth
.Movement, shape and color, dominates, spontaneously
combining raw as well as delicate impulses.
I was honored with the exhibition of my abstract
painting (inspired by Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl
Earring) in the Amsterdam Vermeer exhibit 2024 .
Ruby Aver—
Housatonic Studio open by appointment:
413-854-7007 / rdaver2@gmail.com
Instagram: rdaver2
“The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful
state which makes art inevitable.”
—Robert Henri
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 37

THE OWL IN AUTUMN
STEPHAN MARC KLEIN
TUNNEL VISIONS
Tunnel books, a novelty popular in the late Nineteenth
Century, use printed layers with cutouts to
create three-dimensional works. Their appeal derives
in large part from the aesthetic tension or play
between the illusion of three dimensions in the
printed images on the surface of the layers, and the
actual three dimensions of the layers with their cutout
shapes.
TUNNEL VISIONS explores this visual dissonance
using two-dimensional works to create layered
three-dimensional tableaux—framed “worlds”
in miniature behind glass.
Stephan Marc Klein is an award-winning retired
architect and professor emeritus of interior and exhibition
design. He holds a doctorate in Environmental
Psychology. He has been making art since
childhood, and at age 86 continues to experience the
joy of creating. He now lives in Great Barrington
with his wife, fellow artist and writer Anna Oliver.
Exhibition: December 2025
510 Warren Street Gallery Hudson, NY
Reception 3 - 5:30pm
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Fri. & Sat., Noon to 6pm, Sun. Noon to 5pm
Stephan Marc Klein —
stephanmarcklein.com / smk8378@gmail.com
Member 510 Warren Street Gallery, Hudson, NY
VISUALIZE
world peace &
lotsa RED DOTS
Affirmation by
THE ARTFUL MIND 413-645-4114
SOLO UNA PROMESSA, OIL ON CANVAS, 72” X 144”
JENNIFER PAZIENZA
The title, Solo una Promessa, I borrow from the
Alexander Nehamas book, Only a Promise of Happiness:
The Place of Beauty in a World of Art, where
beauty is respected as a personal, social and cultural
imperative. No matter how fleeting and complicated
it may be, believing that the world is better for it, in
my life and work I assert beauty's ability to ignite
hope, the necessary precursor for the fulfillment of
happiness.
From the Vision & Dialogue series and exhibition,
I made Solo una Promessa during my husband's recovery
from an unexpected spinal surgery that left
him with compromised lower body function. Beginning
as one canvas it grew to the diptych it is, echoing
the non-dualistic role beauty plays in human
experience. Here beauty is not merely an external
quality to be observed. It is itself a landscape where
self and world dissolve
An artist and educator, Jennifer Pazienza born in
Newark, New Jersey lived her formative years in
Bloomfield on Grove Street near Elmwood Avenue
in the house built by her immigrant Sicilian grandfather.
These place names, contributors to the aesthetic
salvation she found as a child making art in
her mother’s garden, inform her work to this day.
Pazienza holds B.Ed., Master’s and PhD degrees in
art education. She studied painting with American
landscape painter Richard Mayhew. Since coming
to New Brunswick in 1989, as professor of art education
at the University of New Brunswick until retirement
in 2014, she has been an art advocate,
published writer and curator for New Brunswick
and international artists.
An award-winning painter, with a lyrical landscape
lens, she has over 40 solo and group shows and
works in permanent and private collections in Canada,
the US and Italy. Highlights include the Beaverbrook
Art Gallery, New Brunswick’s premier
provincial art gallery, White Plains Hospital, NY,
McCain Corporation, the University of New Brunswick,
Saint John Regional Hospital and Mac, Mac
& Mac Law Firm, Nova Scotia. Jennifer is one of
nine Canadian artists chosen for the Luciano Benetton
Imago Mundi Permanent Collection project, Art
Theorema #3 in Treviso, Italy.
Represented by Gallery 78, Fredericton, NB, Canada
and Alex Ferrone Gallery, Long Island, NY,
Jennifer Pazienza lives and paints from her home
and studio in Keswick Ridge, NB, Canada.
Jennifer Pazienza—
https://www.instagram.com/jenniferpazienza/
https://www.jenniferpazienza.com/
BELIEF IN THE POSSIBILITIES OF SPRING
COLLAGE, CRADLED WOODEN BOARD, 12”X12”X2”
PHOTO OF JAYE BY HC — AT MY HOUSE OTHER DAY.
JAYE ALISON
"I was really anxious because we were pretty
much snowbound in our homes, being in a particularly
cold 2025 winter. I had moved many of my art
supplies to my studio in Southfield, and had begun
organizing works. The idea of playing with them,
cutting some of the ones to which I felt drawn to do
so, this had been playing around in my mind for a
looooooong time, but this weather allowed me to
take advantage of the opportunity- I couldn't go
anywhere, so I could just focus and play."
Jaye Alison harnesses water-based mediums like
acrylic and watercolor, influenced by a creative upbringing
and artistic journey. Through abstraction
and intuitive color selection, she captures the interplay
between forms with lines that articulate deepseated
emotions. Her art resonates with joy and
upliftment, transforming personal and worldly
complexities into visual harmony.
The artist is passionate about creating art, painting
on flat, smooth surfaces, and using environmentally
friendly materials.
Alison’s work has been exhibited nationally and
internationally and has appeared in print, film, television,
the web, and Off Off Broadway.
Transforming personal and worldly complexities
into visual harmony. In celebration of Jaye's new
studio, enjoy 10% off large paintings and 30% off
small paintings.
Jaye Alison —
310-970-4517
Studio visits by appointment only:
Pond Shed (behind the Buggy Whip Factory)
208 Norfolk Road, Southfield, Massachusetts
jayealison.com
jaye.alison.art@gmail.com
38 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

RICHARD NELSON
&
Ai
ART
Digital Art
nojrevned@hotmail.com
Rick Nelson on FB
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 39

LESLEE CARSEWELL
My artwork, be it photography, painting, or collage,
embraces a very simple notion: how best to
break up space to achieve more serendipity and
greater intuition on the page. Though simple in
theory, this is not so easy to achieve. I work to make
use of both positive and negative space to create interest,
lyricism, elegance, and ambiguity. Each element
informs the whole. This whole, with luck, is
filled with an air of intrigue.
Breaking up space, to me, has a direct correlation
to music. Rhythm, texture, points of emphasis, and
silence all play their parts. Music that inspires me
includes solo piano work by Debussy, Ravel, Mompou,
and, of course, Schubert and Beethoven.
Working with limited and unadorned materials, I
enhance the initial compositions with color, subtle
but emphatic line work, and texture. For me, painting
abstractly removes restraints. The simplicity of
lines and the subsequent forming of shapes is quite
liberating.
Lastly, I want my work to feel crafted, the artist's
hand in every endeavor.
Leslee Carsewell—
Prints available, please inquire.
413-229-0155 / 413-854-5757
lcarsewellart@icloud.com
www.lcarsewellart.com
GIRLS DAY OUT
OILS AND COLD WAX MEDIUM
CAROLYN ABRAMS
These last few months I have been working on
abstracting the figure with cold wax and oils. It’s
definitely a learning curve and one I am enjoying
Abstracting the figure involves deconstructing the
figure by removing details, exaggerating certain features,
or capturing its essence through gesture and
memory to create a unique, personal interpretation.
This latter explanation is what I am most interested
in. By capturing its essence the work can tell a story.
This approach allows artists to move beyond literal
representation to communicate ideas, movement,
and emotion and becomes visual art as a form of
narrative.
For more information on workshops and classes
contact me directly.
Carolyn M. Abrams—
www.carolynabrams.com
Member, Guild of Berkshire Artists
“What a funny thing painting is. The abstract painters always insist on their connection
with the visible reality, while the so-called figurative artists insist that what they really
care about, is the abstract qualities of life.”
—Marlene Dumas
GAIL GELBURD
THE LIBERATION OF SUE MOODY:
SLAYING THE DRAGON
The newly released The Liberation of Sue Moody:
Slaying the Dragons by Gail Gelburd is striking a
powerful chord with readers who see in Sue
Moody’s life a rare and unflinching account of courage
under relentless pressure. This is not just the
story of a journalist’s career. It is the chronicle of a
woman who endured war, hunger, and the constant
threat to her safety, yet refused to lose her voice or
her sense of identity. Surviving war and starvation
is not a backdrop in this book. It is the lifeline that
runs through every chapter.
Drawn from Sue’s own letters, journals, and articles,
the book brings readers into the immediacy
of her world. They are with her on the streets of occupied
Paris, where she rides her bicycle through
narrow alleys to avoid patrols, barters for food in
the black market, and searches for chestnuts in overgrown
gardens when supplies are gone. These are
not distant recollections but lived moments, written
with the weight of fear, exhaustion, and determination
still in them.
The book itself has its own extraordinary origin.
While serving as chair of the Otis Historical Commission,
Gail Gelburd reviewed a long-forgotten
collection of Sue Moody’s writings, found by a
neighbor in an abandoned Massachusetts home. The
papers were fragile, yet her words remained clear,
confident, and alive with wit. In those boxes was
the unfiltered voice of a woman determined to be
heard, even by future generations.
What draws readers most is Sue’s ability to stand
firm when survival meant more than finding shelter
or food. It meant preserving her place in journalism,
holding on to her values, and keeping her dignity
intact. Her Quaker upbringing, her encounters with
remarkable figures such as the unsinkable Molly
Brown, and her own resourcefulness gave her the
resilience to endure without surrender.
“The Liberation of Sue Moody: Slaying the
Dragons” is available now in paperback, hardcover,
and eBook formats through Amazon and other online
book stores worldwide.
Gail Gelburd—
otishistoricalcommission@gmail.com
www.gailgelburd.com.
www.otispreservationtrust.org
40 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

SALLY TISKA RICE
BERKSHIRE ROLLING HILLS
Born and raised in the captivating Berkshires,
Sally Tiska Rice possesses artistic prowess that
breathes life into her canvases. As a versatile multimedia
artist, Sally seamlessly employs a tapestry
of techniques, working in acrylics, watercolors, oil
paints, pastels, collages containing botanicals, and
mixed media elements. Her creative spirit draws
inspiration from the idyllic surroundings of her
rural hometown, where she resides with her husband,
Mark, and cherished pets.
Sally's artistic process is a dance of spontaneity
and intention. With each brush stroke, she composes
artwork that reflects her unique perspective.
Beyond her creations, Sally also welcomes commissioned
projects, turning heartfelt visions into
tangible realities. Whether it's capturing the essence
of individuals, beloved pets, cherished homes, or
sacred churches, she pours her soul into each personalized
masterpiece.
SallyTiska Rice—
SallyTiskaRice@gmail.com
www.sallytiskarice.com
https://www.facebook.com/artistsallytiskarice
Fine Art Prints (Pixels), Twitter, LinkedIn
Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
INSDIE THE STUDIO
BRUCE LAIRD
I am an abstract artist whose two and three-dimensional
works in mixed media reveal a fascination
with geometry, color and juxtapositions. For
me it is all about the work which provides surprising
results, both playful and thought provoking.
From BCC to UMASS and later to Vermont College
to earn my MFA Degree. I have taken many
workshops through Art New England, at Bennington
College, Hamilton College and an experimental
workshop on cyanotypes recently at MCLA. Two
international workshops in France and Italy also.
I am pleased to have a studio space with an exciting
group of artists at the Clocktower Building in
Pittsfield.
Bruce Laird —
Clock Tower, #307, 75 South Church Street,
Pittsfield, MA. Instagram: @ecurbart
KATE KNAPP, NARRAGANSETT INN OUTBUILDINGS
EARLY SPRING BLOCK ISLANDOIL ON CANVAS, 15” X 24”
FRONT ST. GALLERY
Pastels, oils, acrylics and watercolors, abstract
and representational, landscapes, still lifes and portraits,
a unique variety of painting technique and
styles you will be transported to another world and
see things in a way you never have before join us
and experience something different.
Painting classes continue on Monday and Wednesday
mornings 10-1:30pm at the studio and
Thursday mornings out in the field. These classes
are open to all...come to one or come again if it
works for you. All levels and materials welcome.
Private critiques available. Classes at Front Street
are for those wishing to learn, those who just want
to be involved in the pure enjoyment of art, and/or
those who have some experience under their belt.
Kate Knapp —
413-528-9546 at home or 413-429-7141 (cell)
Front Street, Housatonic, MA. Gallery open by
appointment or chance anytime.
www.kateknappartist.com
BE SEEN ON THE PAGES OF THE ARTFUL MIND MAGAZINE
CUZ PEOPLE WANNA KNOW!
CONTACT- ARTFULMIND@YAHOO.COM
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER 2025 • 41

Bicycle. 2025
Whimsical Sculpture by Jeffrey Bynack
made from found metal parts & objects.
Welded and mechanically fit. Perfectly suitable
for indoor and outdoor enjoyment.
See more of this work at ...
413. 645. 4114 / artfulmind@yahoo.com
—Commissions gladly considered—
MARY ANN YARMOSKY
Instagram • Facebook | maryannyarmoskyart.com
42 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

Valeria and the Ants
CHAPTER 7
“The Man who Looked Like James Joyce”
After my conversation with Valeria where she explained
why the elephants hated the ants, I was surprised
at my unexpected emotional reaction.
Bruno’s statement that it took a week to kill an elephant
had affected me deeply. Nevertheless, I did
not believe any of her stories, it was, to me, simply
an interesting historical fiction narrated by a child,
but reinforced by the child's emotional commitment
to the importance of the story.
It began to rain persistently at that time and there
were no patrons at the carnival. Running the bumper
cars for only 2 or 3 people was not allowed so I
spent some afternoons in the library. I took down an
encyclopedia and began reading about the Punic
wars. I recognized all the basic facts from high
school but there was a passage about the Island of
Sicily that said. The important Greek colony of Syracuse
in Sicily at first sided with the Romans against
the Carthigians, but after a revolt in the city, they
switched their allegiance to Hanibal. The Romans
had great difficulty subduing Syracuse, because of
the mathematician Archimedes, who had created
monstrous grappling hooks that lifted the Roman triremes
up in the air to a great height, and dropped
them to their complete destruction.
Although the Romans finally conquered Syracuse,
orders were given to spare the life of Archimedies,
but he was slain by a Roman soldier in the heat of
battle.
There were several things in that passage that
struck me as extremely interesting and relevant to
Valeria's account of the conflict between the ants
and the elephants. First of all, I hope you noticed
that the town in question was named “Syracuse,” the
very name she had given to her ant friend. To me
this was a clue to how the story she told me might
have come about, though a patchwork of remembered
facts overheard over time and stitched together
in her inventive mind.
Consider the fate of Archimedes, it was ordered
that he was to be spared but was killed anyway. That
is what happened to the elephants, they were also
ordered to be spared but killed despite the order.
Consider also the method used to kill the elephants;
by the use of mechanical devices that raise them in
the air and drop them. That was exactly the same as
the tools Archmedies created in the war.
But where were these pieces of information coming
from? She would obviously explain her source
of information as being from the ant and the elephant
themselves, and I had no desire to question
her, or contradict her, but in the meantime I began
to look around for a simpler and more obvious explanation.
There was a man working at the carnival who
seemed to me to be a possible source of her notions.
He was a man by the name of Thomas, and in the
past he had been the driver of the old carnival bus,
which he was also the mechanic for. For several
years the carnival had been fortunate to be able to
stay in one place, so that Thomas had no work to do,
but he was kept on, partly because he asked for no
payment, and made himself useful whenever things
needed to be repaired. I mentioned that those employed
in the place were mostly illiterate. But
Thomas was a highly educated man. How did I
know he was highly educated? Because of his eyeglasses,
his hat, and the sportcoat he always wore
that was tweed, and had suede patches on the elbows.
I suspected he wanted to look like James
Joyce, and if that was true, he certainly achieved an
accomplished imitation.
He spoke little, and when he did say anything it
was devoid of any uncertainty. Each morning he
would read a newspaper, sitting at a picnic table, and
his coworkers would sometimes approach him, even
timidly, and sometimes ask him questions. They
asked him questions, not because they wanted or
needed to know the answers, but just because they
liked to hear his answer. So, the man who operated
the merry go-round might come up to him and say.
“Thomas, when did the Second World War end?”
And he might answer, “September of 45,” without
looking up from his newspaper, or looking to see
who had asked the question.
“But what day in September?” and Thomas would
give the date and day, with a slightly annoyed shake
of his head.
Why would the Merry-go-round operator need to
know the day the Second World War ended? For no
reason, but simply because Thomas knew, and therefore,
obviously must know everything, absolutely,
and it gives an ignorant person pleasure to know
someone like that.
This Thomas person was in the library the day it
was raining so hard, and I decided to ask him a question,
even though we had never been introduced. I
walked up to him, he was sitting reading a newspaper
in the periodical section, and I said to him, “Is
it true that the carnival is going to sell the elephant.”
“He nodded his head, not looking up from his magazine.
“Is the elephant really mad at Valeria, like she
says he is?”
I suppose it was a presumptuous and impolite
question and he didn’t bother to answer it but I persisted
and said, “Why would they sell the elephant?”
Thomas gestured for me to sit down, and looking
at me with great seriousness said, "It's the end, the
end of everything, and when Bruno goes everything
else is going to go with it. The money from the sale
of the elephant will be almost sufficient to pay all
the outstanding bills, and then we are going to all go
our separate ways, and everyone knows it.”
Thomas was then good enough to sit back in his
library chair, push his papers aside, and proceeded
to explain the affairs of the carnival to me in detail.
But before I tell you what he had to say, I have to
confess that at first I did not like Thomas, and for a
trivial and unimportant reason that I am embarrassed
to admit. I did not like him because when I interrupted
him he was reading the Wall Street Journal,
and not only that, but he was making notes in a notebook
as well. Now, there are many people who read
financial journals, and many of them jot down notes
in a pad, but it is a special class of persons, in my
opinion, who do this in a library, reading a paper
they did not pay for, in a room provided for them by
the city. In short, it is… well I won't go on exposing
my various prejudices for you, and will simply tell
you what he had to say about the carnival where we
both happened to be working. This is what he had
to say.
“It is a very odd situation for a carnival to remain
in one place for a number of years. In general, carnivals,
like our establishment, move from place to
place, traveling at least once a month if not more
often, and are constantly on the road. How did it
come about that we have remained here for so long?
It happened quite by accident. One day we set up
our tents, booths and rides in an accommodating
field, near a small town, only to discover that, without
realizing it, we were within sight of the interstate
highway. We discovered that it was possible to see
the tops of our tents and their flags, from the highway,
and as cars would come to the top of a rise in
the road there we would be, beckoning travelers to
take a break from their journey and visit us. But, it
was not the sight of the tents and banners that was
so attractive to them, it was the elephant that happened
to be tied to a telephone pole just within sight
of the road. Now there is something compelling and
hypnotic about an actual live elephant, and I believe
that there is no person, no matter how busy, jaded
or insensitive who, when they round a curve, and an
elephant comes into view, would not instantly put
their foot on the brake, and slow down to get a better
look at the sight.
An actual elephant, looked at close up in the real
world is capable by simply existing, to make one
feel that their life has been entirely meaningless. The
elephant does not have to do any tricks at all to produce
that reaction. If you got to stand next to an elephant,
say, just two feet away, it seemed as though
the animal is just the kindest entity in the world,
kind and patient, and even caring, and yet it could
kill you with just a gesture and perhaps not even notice
you.
I remember, as a child I went to camp each
summer, and in a field I could see two buffalo standing
motionless in the distance. They were real live
buffalo, looking like they must be the last of their
kind in the world. I would be riding in the back seat
looking for them the entire way. I would feel a rush
of joy when I would see them each year. It was so
long ago, and yet, when I think of them now I feel
as thought they must still be there.
It is like that with our elephant, and it is not just
the elephant standing there by his pole, it is also Valeria,
sitting next to him, leaning her back against one
of his legs and pretending to read a book to him, and
him turning the pages for her. A few years ago you
could have seen them playing checkers. They loved
to play tic tac toe in the dirt, and recently they have
been playing chess together. Now, neither of them
is very good at chess, so we have been told by
people who know, but the sight was something one
could never forget.”
Having listened to Thomas explain things to me
concerning the carnival, the elephant, and Valeria, I
began to have some attachment for the place, but
what he said was not even the half of their problems.
RICHARD BRITELL OCTOBER, 2025, CHAPTERS 1 - 6
CAN BE FOUND AT RICHARDBRITELL.COM
THE ARTFUL MIND DECEMBER •43

44 • DECEMBER 2025 THE ARTFUL MIND

BRUCE PANOCK
BARN IN SHADOW
Panockphotography.com
bruce@panockphotography.com
917-287-8589 | Instagram @brucepanock

BOULEVARDIER
Styled by Deborah H Carter
Photo: Eric Korenman
Model: Ian Tiffany
Represented by the WIT Gallery
Clock Tower Artists